February 18 2015 NISO Virtual Conference Scientific Data Management: Caring for Your Institution and its Intellectual Wealth Building Best Practices in Research Data Management: Tisch Library’s Initiatives Regina F. Raboin, Science Research and Instruction Librarian/ Data Management Services Group Coordinator, Tisch Library, Tufts University

1. NISO Virtual Conference
Scientific Data Management: Caring for Your Institution and
its Intellectual Wealth
Building Best Practices in Research Data Management:
Tisch Library’s Initiatives
Regina Raboin
Research Data Management Services Group Coordinator
Science Research & Instruction Librarian
Tisch Library, Medford Campus
Tufts University

2. Tisch Library
Established in 1852, Tufts is a private university
with campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville &
Grafton, Mass., and Talloires, France
Total students: 10,819; Undergraduates: 5,131;
Graduate and professional: 5,284; International:
1,246
Total libraries: 6; Total volumes, all libraries:
1,236,421
Tisch Library: 59 staff; 20 professional, 39
library assistants
From: Tufts University Fact Book 2013-2014

3. FOCUS
• University Relationships: Collaborating across Tufts University
• Research Data Management Education
• Data Management Plans Consultation Services

4. Building and Collaborating:
Strategic Initiatives
• National Science Foundation (NSF) Informational Trip (March 2014)
o Arranged by Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC
o Meetings and Discussions
• NSF Head, Policy Office, Division of Institution and Award Support
• Seven Division Directors
o Executive summary: OVPR, Tufts Libraries, TTS, and DCA have opportunity to evolve and build university-wide data
management services, policies and procedures.
o Report with broad takeaways and recommendations for OVPR/Tisch Library collaborative initiatives/actions
• E-Science Duraspace Institute (November 2013 - April 2014)
o Collaboration between Tisch Library and Tufts Technology Services (TTS)
o Environmental survey of Tufts E-Science and data management policies
o Results: Tisch Library Data Management Services Strategic Plan

5. Strategic University Partnerships
– Vice-provost for Research
o Office of Proposal Development
o Office of Research Administration
o Office of Program Development
– Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC
– Arts and Sciences Associate Director for
Research Affairs and Grants Administrator
– School of Engineering Research
Administrator
– Tufts Digital Collections and Archives (Tufts
Institutional Repository and Digital Library)
– Tufts Technology Services
o Research and GIS Technical Services
o Educational and Scholarly Technology Services
– Tufts University Scholarly
Communications Team
– University Library Council
– Hirsch Health Sciences Library
– Webster Veterinary Library
– Department Grant Coordinators

6. Research Data Management Education:
Tools and Opportunities

7. New England Collaborative Data
Management Curriculum (NECDMC)

8. NECDMC Website
http://library.umassmed.edu/necdmc/

9. Research Data Management Software
Pilot Project = Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELNs)
Data Management Practices at Tufts
• Faculty
–utilize ad hoc data management systems
–are reliant on their students and research associates to store, manage and retrieve their group’s data
–leverage services offered by Tisch library staff to prepare data management plans for grant submissions
• University Data
–Finding the data as mandated by the government becomes increasingly difficult as:
–more and more data are generated
–students/associates use different data storage methods
–students/associates leave the university
–the time between data acquisition and request increases

10. To select, implement, manage and support a
University-wide research data management
service for the Tufts research community.
Project Charter / Goal

11. Exploratory Phase: 2012-2013
• May 2012 – Nov 2013
• Participants
– Chemistry Department
– Digital Collections & Archives
– Tisch Library
– Tufts Technology Services
• Stages
– Assessed ELN/LIMS market and products
– Surveyed Tufts research community
– Outreach to other institutions

12. Research Data Management Services Group Role
• Developed an overview of best practices in research data management and
metadata for pilot participants
• Participated in software evaluations, pilot project training and surveying
participants; gathering feedback and helping with final assessment of products
• Collaborating with Tufts Technology Services to develop training for Tufts
faculty/researchers and students (ELN software + NECDMC)

13. Pilot Results
• Both programs were generally well-received
• Researchers believed that the programs would
facilitate their research and data management
processes.
• Easy-to-use vs. complicated/powerful
• Tufts Administration and Office of Vice-Provost for
Research/Tufts Technology Services approved
purchasing of both LabArchives & Agilent
13

14. Consulting on Data Management Plans
• Group Goals
– Provide data management plan support and development
– Provide updated information on evolving Federal open data
requirements & guidelines
– Educate researchers (faculty, staff students) in research data
management, open data & open access
– Collaborate, coordinate and consult with A, S & E and
University-wide data management initiatives

15. Data Management Plans:
How do we work with A & S and SOE?
• Administrators contact us with lists of faculty who are preparing
NSF grant proposals
• Use email template to contact researchers
• Ask to work with researcher in person, email, sometimes both;
meeting with subject specialist and metadata librarian
• DMP template is attached to email
– When necessary will provide a directorate specific template
• Ask researcher to provide grant summary and/or prospectus
• Provide a ‘path’ or ‘outline’ for researcher

16. Accomplishments, 2009 -
• Strong university partnerships established and continue to be nurtured.
• Established Tisch Library’s Data Management Services Group
o Data Management/Data Sharing Plans consultations
• NSF, NIH, NEH (Digital Humanities) and others
• Hirsh Health Sciences Library now represented
• Serves A, S & E; Tufts Medical, Dental & Friedman Schools; most recently Cummings
• Education Services: Best Practices in Research Data Management
o New England Collaborative Data Management Curriculum (NECDMC)
• Collaboration with University of Massachusetts Worcester, and other New England institutions
• Key role in curriculum development, outreach and piloting (ongoing)
o Savvy Researcher Series (ongoing)
• NECDMC modules customized for A, S, & E community
o HHSL: Tufts Medical/Dental/Sackler School/Friedman School
o Research Data Management Software (ELNs)

17. Group’s Future Initiatives
• General
– Continue building on the National Science Foundation (NSF) Informational Trip recommended actions
– Build on the DuraSpace Institute takeaways and continue developing strategic agenda for Data Management Services
– Update/redesign Data Management Research Guide
– Work with TTS and others to develop a ‘one services portal’ surrounding data management services at Tufts
– Sustainability for Research Data Management Services Group
• Data Management Plans
– DMP Tool, Version 2 – download, customize and link from web site
– Research Administration Software: work with Office of the Vice-provost for Research to move some outreach services into this
system.
• Education
– Tufts Graduate Schools, Research labs, Centers/Institutes (especially new interdisciplinary centers)
– NSF REU Students
– TTS & RDM Software: Development of training for Tufts faculty/researchers and students (merge with NECDMC)

18. Tisch Library Data Management Services Group
http://researchguides.library.tufts.edu/datamanagement
Librarian Consultant Expertise Contact Information
Megan Bresnahan
Science Collections Librarian
Tisch Library, Medford
Scholarly Communications; Research Data
Management Curriculum
Megan.bresnahan@tufts.edu
Martha Kelehan
Social Sciences Bibliographer
Tisch Library, Medford
Social Sciences; Scholarly Communications Martha.Kelehan@tufts.edu
Alex May
Cataloging and Metadata Services Librarian
Tisch Library, Medford
Metadata Services Alex.May@tufts.edu
Alicia Morris
Head of Metadata and Technical Services
Tisch Library, Medford
Metadata Services Alicia.Morris@tufts.edu
Josh Quan
Social Sciences Data Librarian
Tisch Library, Medford
Social Sciences; Data Analysis Joshua.Quan@tufts.edu
Evan Simpson
Head, Research & Instruction
Tisch Library, Medford
Coordinator for Research Data Management
Services Group Evan.Simpson@tufts.edu
Karen Vagts
Engineering, Business, Math Research and
Instruction Librarian; Citation Tools
Coordinator
Tisch Library, Medford
School of Engineering Data Management
Services
Engineering, Business, Math,
Entrepreneurship
Karen.Vagts@tufts.edu
Berika Williams
Research & Instruction/ Emerging
Technologies and Web Librarian
Hirsh Health Sciences Library, Boston
Research Data Management Curriculum Berika.Williams@tufts.edu

19. For More Information:
Contact
Evan Simpson
Head, Research & Instruction
Tisch Library, Tufts Unversity
evan.simpson@tufts.edu
Tisch Library Data Management Services Group
http://researchguides.library.tufts.edu/datamanagement

20. Images
• National Science Foundation (NSF). http://www.nnin.org/reu/reu-convocation-poster-
requirements&h=601&w=600&tbnid=yZsCEqQaRQIrkM:&zoom=1&docid=9tFMxpFktvOcgM&ei=nlviVJCIEsTHsQ
Sl-IGYDw&tbm=isch&ved=0CBwQMygAMAA. Date retrieved: February 15, 2015.
• Duraspace E-Science Institute. http://www.duraspace.org/e-science-institute. Date retrieved: February 15,
2015.
• Project: School of Data Education. http://www.flickr.com/photos/okfn/6840876757/in/photostream/
Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0). Date retrieved: February 15, 2015.
• New England Collaborative Data Management Curriculum (NECDMC). http://library.umassmed.edu/necdmc/.
Date retrieved: February 15, 2015.